The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge

The architect’s view

The project for the Grade II Listed Beaney Institute meets the need to expand facilities to satisfy curatorial and environmental requirements, to improve accessibility and the range of community services offered to the public along with repair of the historic building fabric.

A new public entrance on Best Lane provides the opportunity to address circulation issues, creating a major new accessible public entrance to the enlarged building footprint. This entrance leads into a dramatic top-lit foyer space that progresses sequentially, culminating in new library and gallery accommodation. The new route engages at right angles with the existing axial corridor approach from the High Street.

The reception is located at this important double height focal point, opposite a glass-fronted lift shaft and open staircase that act as a pin interlocking the old with the new, bringing coherence and clarity to the plan.

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